taxi
Taxis, Buses and the Metro
Crossing a Chinese city on your own: getting into a metered taxi or a car you booked on your phone, telling the driver where to turn and where to stop, working out a bus route, changing metro lines, and buying a train ticket.
Essential phrases
In the order you are likely to need them. Play each one, repeat it, and read the note underneath — knowing when to say a sentence matters as much as saying it correctly.
师傅，您好，去火车站。師傅，您好，去火車站。
Shīfu, (first tone, high and level) nín (second tone, rising) hǎo, (third tone, dipping) qù (fourth tone, falling) huǒchēzhàn. (third tone, dipping)
Hello, driver — to the railway station, please.
When to use it
Your first line as you sit down. Drivers expect the destination before they pull out, and 师傅 (shīfu) is the ordinary respectful way to address one — no 先生 needed.
师傅，您好，我的手机尾号是三七九。師傅，您好，我的手機尾號是三七九。
Shīfu, (first tone, high and level) nín (second tone, rising) hǎo, (third tone, dipping) wǒ (third tone, dipping) de (neutral tone) shǒujī (third tone, dipping) wěihào (third tone, dipping) shì (fourth tone, falling) sān (first tone, high and level) qī (first tone, high and level) jiǔ. (third tone, dipping)
Hello, driver — the last digits of my phone number are three, seven, nine.
When to use it
Say it when you reach the car you booked in a ride-hailing app. The driver confirms passengers by the last digits of the booking number rather than by name, and will often ask 尾号多少 before unlocking the door.
麻烦打表，谢谢。麻煩打表，謝謝。
Máfan (second tone, rising) dǎ (third tone, dipping) biǎo, (third tone, dipping) xièxie. (fourth tone, falling)
Please run the meter, thank you.
When to use it
For a street taxi, said before the car moves. 打表 means running the meter; if a driver proposes a flat price instead, you are outside the normal system and the metered fare is usually lower.
请问，到那儿大概要多长时间？請問，到那兒大概要多長時間？
Qǐngwèn, (third tone, dipping) dào (fourth tone, falling) nàr (fourth tone, falling) dàgài (fourth tone, falling) yào (fourth tone, falling) duō (first tone, high and level) cháng (second tone, rising) shíjiān? (second tone, rising)
Excuse me, roughly how long will it take to get there?
When to use it
Ask at the start of the ride, especially with a train or a class to catch. 大概 signals you only want an estimate, so you get a number rather than a hedge.
我赶时间，麻烦开快一点。我趕時間，麻煩開快一點。
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) gǎn (third tone, dipping) shíjiān, (second tone, rising) máfan (second tone, rising) kāi (first tone, high and level) kuài (fourth tone, falling) yìdiǎn. (fourth tone, falling)
I am in a hurry — could you drive a little faster, please.
When to use it
赶时间 (gǎn shíjiān) is the set expression for being pressed for time. Saying it early is more effective than repeating the destination, since the driver can then pick a different route.
前面路口左转。前面路口左轉。
Qiánmiàn (second tone, rising) lùkǒu (fourth tone, falling) zuǒ (third tone, dipping) zhuǎn. (third tone, dipping)
Turn left at the crossroads ahead.
When to use it
The sentence for steering the last few hundred metres, when the app has dropped a pin on the wrong side of the road. Swap in 右转 (right) or 直走 (straight on).
就在这儿停就行，谢谢。就在這兒停就行，謝謝。
Jiù (fourth tone, falling) zài (fourth tone, falling) zhèr (fourth tone, falling) tíng (second tone, rising) jiù (fourth tone, falling) xíng, (second tone, rising) xièxie. (fourth tone, falling)
Just stop here, that is fine — thank you.
When to use it
How to get out early — at a red light, before a blocked gate, or on the near side of a wide road. 就行 makes it clear you are content, so the driver does not keep circling.
可以扫码付吗？可以掃碼付嗎？
Kěyǐ (third tone, dipping) sǎomǎ (third tone, dipping) fù (fourth tone, falling) ma? (neutral tone)
Can I pay by scanning the code?
When to use it
Ask at the end of the ride. The driver will hold up a printed QR code or show one on the phone; you scan it and type in the amount on the meter yourself.
麻烦给我开张发票。麻煩給我開張發票。
Máfan (second tone, rising) gěi (third tone, dipping) wǒ (third tone, dipping) kāi (first tone, high and level) zhāng (first tone, high and level) fāpiào. (first tone, high and level)
Could you print me a receipt, please.
When to use it
Ask before you open the door. The meter prints a 发票 that carries the taxi’s number and the time of the trip — which is exactly what you need if you leave a bag on the back seat, and what a scholarship office asks for.
请问，这路车到大学城吗？請問，這路車到大學城嗎？
Qǐngwèn, (third tone, dipping) zhè (fourth tone, falling) lù (fourth tone, falling) chē (first tone, high and level) dào (fourth tone, falling) Dàxuéchéng (fourth tone, falling) ma? (neutral tone)
Excuse me, does this bus go to the university district?
When to use it
Say it to the driver as you board, or to someone waiting at the stop. 这路车 means “this bus route”: buses are counted with 路 (lù), so route 22 is 二十二路.
请问，去中山路坐几号线？請問，去中山路坐幾號線？
Qǐngwèn, (third tone, dipping) qù (fourth tone, falling) Zhōngshān (first tone, high and level) Lù (fourth tone, falling) zuò (fourth tone, falling) jǐ (third tone, dipping) hào (fourth tone, falling) xiàn? (fourth tone, falling)
Excuse me, which metro line do I take for Zhongshan Road?
When to use it
Ask a station attendant in the ticket hall. Metro lines are numbered, so the answer is a short 几号线 you can catch even at speed.
请问，在哪一站换乘？請問，在哪一站換乘？
Qǐngwèn, (third tone, dipping) zài (fourth tone, falling) nǎ (third tone, dipping) yí (second tone, rising) zhàn (fourth tone, falling) huànchéng? (fourth tone, falling)
Excuse me, which station do I change at?
When to use it
The follow-up question once you know the line. 换乘 (huànchéng) is the word printed on the interchange signs inside the station, so hearing it once makes the signage readable.
我要买一张明天去上海的高铁票。我要買一張明天去上海的高鐵票。
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) yào (fourth tone, falling) mǎi (third tone, dipping) yì (fourth tone, falling) zhāng (first tone, high and level) míngtiān (second tone, rising) qù (fourth tone, falling) Shànghǎi (fourth tone, falling) de (neutral tone) gāotiě (first tone, high and level) piào. (fourth tone, falling)
I would like one high-speed train ticket to Shanghai for tomorrow.
When to use it
The full sentence for a station ticket counter: quantity, date, destination, type of train. Put your passport on the counter as you say it, because the ticket is issued in the traveller’s own name.
Cultural notes
Two kinds of car look identical from the pavement but work differently. A is flagged down in the street or taken from a rank, runs on a meter (), and prints a paper at the end; some cities add a night or fuel surcharge, and the printed receipt shows the breakdown. A is booked in an app — Didi and the ride-hailing mini-programs inside Alipay and WeChat are the usual ones — which needs a Chinese phone number and a linked payment method, so it only becomes available to you once your SIM and bank card are sorted. The app driver identifies you by the last digits of your booking number, not by name, which is why comes up on every pickup. Cash is still accepted in street taxis, but bring small notes; drivers carry little change. Buses take a flat fare paid by scanning a QR code from a transport app or with a rechargeable , and many will not give change if you pay in coins, so have the exact fare. Metro stations put every bag through a security check at the entrance, which is routine and quick if you have your bag open; you buy a single-journey token from a machine or scan a code in the metro app, and you need it again to get out. Railway tickets are sold under the traveller’s own name and you show the same passport at the platform gate that you booked with, so keep it on you and allow extra time at the station for the check. Front seats, back seats and seat belts are all normal; tipping is not expected anywhere in this scenario.
These notes describe common practice, not rules. Requirements and procedures differ between cities, institutions and years — confirm anything procedural with the office, clinic or company itself.
Vocabulary
No word list has been attached to this scenario yet. Every phrase above is searchable word by word in the dictionary, and tapping a word inside the tutor role-play adds it to your review queue.
Dictionary →Dialogue
The same errand as a full conversation, with pinyin, translation and sentence audio.
A Taxi to the Airport →Offline phrase card
Everything else on this page is hidden when you print. What comes out is the card below: Chinese, pinyin and your language, in the order you need them — one page that works with no signal.
HSK Guide · Offline phrase card
Taxis, Buses and the Metro
Independent platform. Not affiliated with official HSK authorities.
师傅，您好，去火车站。師傅，您好，去火車站。
Shīfu, nín hǎo, qù huǒchēzhàn.
Hello, driver — to the railway station, please.
师傅，您好，我的手机尾号是三七九。師傅，您好，我的手機尾號是三七九。
Shīfu, nín hǎo, wǒ de shǒujī wěihào shì sān qī jiǔ.
Hello, driver — the last digits of my phone number are three, seven, nine.
麻烦打表，谢谢。麻煩打表，謝謝。
Máfan dǎ biǎo, xièxie.
Please run the meter, thank you.
请问，到那儿大概要多长时间？請問，到那兒大概要多長時間？
Qǐngwèn, dào nàr dàgài yào duō cháng shíjiān?
Excuse me, roughly how long will it take to get there?
我赶时间，麻烦开快一点。我趕時間，麻煩開快一點。
Wǒ gǎn shíjiān, máfan kāi kuài yìdiǎn.
I am in a hurry — could you drive a little faster, please.
前面路口左转。前面路口左轉。
Qiánmiàn lùkǒu zuǒ zhuǎn.
Turn left at the crossroads ahead.
就在这儿停就行，谢谢。就在這兒停就行，謝謝。
Jiù zài zhèr tíng jiù xíng, xièxie.
Just stop here, that is fine — thank you.
可以扫码付吗？可以掃碼付嗎？
Kěyǐ sǎomǎ fù ma?
Can I pay by scanning the code?
麻烦给我开张发票。麻煩給我開張發票。
Máfan gěi wǒ kāi zhāng fāpiào.
Could you print me a receipt, please.
请问，这路车到大学城吗？請問，這路車到大學城嗎？
Qǐngwèn, zhè lù chē dào Dàxuéchéng ma?
Excuse me, does this bus go to the university district?
请问，去中山路坐几号线？請問，去中山路坐幾號線？
Qǐngwèn, qù Zhōngshān Lù zuò jǐ hào xiàn?
Excuse me, which metro line do I take for Zhongshan Road?
请问，在哪一站换乘？請問，在哪一站換乘？
Qǐngwèn, zài nǎ yí zhàn huànchéng?
Excuse me, which station do I change at?
我要买一张明天去上海的高铁票。我要買一張明天去上海的高鐵票。
Wǒ yào mǎi yì zhāng míngtiān qù Shànghǎi de gāotiě piào.
I would like one high-speed train ticket to Shanghai for tomorrow.